Thumping at the door has us pulling apart. I curse as Citi gives me a shaky smile and steps aside so I can open it. Capone is standing there with a few boxes of pizza in his hands.
“Any time today, Ambros. It’s not like these are hot or anything.”
I move aside with a sigh and watch as Citi leads him into the kitchen and takes the boxes to the counter.
“You didn’t have to get pizza for us, Capone.”
“You gotta eat, right? Star’s gotta eat, especially if she’s gonna keep kicking ass. Plus, I’m a growing boy.”
She chuckles, keeping a little distance between them as she grabs plates and napkins. “I could have cooked something.”
“Rain check? I’d say you don’t need to cook me anything, but do I look like an idiot?”
“Yes,” I answer, earning myself the middle finger.
“Nobody turns down a home-cooked meal.”
“You might have wished you had. I’m not sure how good a cook I am.”
“Well, I’m sure of how bad of one I am, so the bar is really fucking low,” Capone admits, making Citi chuckle again.
Banging at the door has me frowning. Citi heads to open it as Capone looks at me in question.
“What the fuck, Citi? You trying to get me in trouble?” I growl at the sound of Pig’s voice and storm to the door.
“No, of course not, but if you were watching us like you were supposed to?—”
“Oh come on!” he interrupts. “I was checking my messages. Havoc is running me and Con ragged and you want to play games?” He snaps his mouth closed when he sees me.
“If you like breathing, I’d fuck off right now, Pig,” I warn.
“Ambros—” he starts. I pull Citi back and hand her off to Capone, who has followed me out. I step into the doorway and shove Pig down the steps, smirking when he lands on his ass.
“I see you anywhere near Citi or Star again, and I don’t give a fuck what Havoc says, I will end you.” I slam the door closed before I rip out his spine, and head back to the kitchen. Capone is leaning against the counter, while Citi is sitting and looking at me. “He won’t be watching you anymore.”
“Okay,” she answers softly.
“That fucking prospect,” Capone grumbles.
Footsteps sound behind me. I turn just in time to see Star spot me. She grins as I bend down and open my arms. She has her unicorn in her arms, but that doesn’t stop her from running into mine. I pick her up and carry her to the table and sit her on one of the chairs. “You hungry, princess? Capone brought pizza.”
Her eyes widen before she nods reverently at the pizza boxes.
I look at Citi, who looks flushed. “We’ve never had a delivery pizza before—only pizza I’ve made,” she admits.
Silence lapses over the room before Capone takes the plates from her and carries them to the table, placing one at each sitting space.
“Well, prepare to be amazed. Pizza is my favorite. Though I can’t lie—I’ll eat almost anything—Mikey’s pizza is some of the best I’ve ever had.”
I take a seat next to Star and watch as Capone shoos Citi away to do the same, then carries over the first box and opens it with a flourish.
“First up, we have double cheese.” He holds the box close to Star, who looks to her mom before taking a slice. Citi follows suit before I take one, and Capone slides one onto his plate. He then does the same with the next pizza, which is pepperoni, and the last one, which is sausage and peppers. We all dig in, me and Capone watching Citi and Star for their reactions. We are notdisappointed. Star takes a bite and looks down at it like she’s just been given a puppy.
“Good, right?” I ask her. She looks up at me with wide eyes before taking another big bite and nodding vigorously.
Capone laughs before looking at Citi. “Well, what’s the verdict?”
“Meh, it’s okay.”
